Wellington-Halton Hills, as a riding, was created in 2004 out of parts from four different ridings. In that first election, Conservative Michael Chong beat Liberal candidate Bruce Hood by a little over four points, but since then Chong has enjoyed double-digit victories including his 2011 general election victory with 63.7 per cent of the vote. So he’s invulnerable, right? Continue reading “WELLINGTON-HALTON HILLS POLITICAST 2021 – Melanie Lang, Liberal Candidate”
Jim Estill has been a successful entrepreneur, innovator and investor building a number of successful businesses around Guelph, but the thing that made Estill a national figure had nothing to do with business. Through Estill’s generosity, hundreds of Syrian refugees have made a new home in Canada, and now he wants to do it again for 50 families fleeing the resurgent Tabliban in Afghanistan. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #287 – Why Not 50 More?”
Michael Chong won Wellington Halton-Hills in the 2019 election with 47.4 per cent of the vote. The only way he could have been defeated was if the combined Liberal, NDP, and Green Party vote had gotten behind one candidate. The word “untouchable” would not be an overstatement, but there’s a new kid in town that hopes to catch everyone, and Chong, by surprise. Continue reading “WELLINGTON-HALTON HILLS POLITICAST 2021 – Ran Zhu, Green Party Candidate”
Before we unlock the future we must first find the keys to the past. As we await the return of city council in their first meeting of the fall after Labour Day, we’re going to take a few moments to remember all the work that council did in the first seven months this year. There were some laughs, some friction, and more than a couple of marathon meetings. In this new edition of the podcast we go back in time! Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #286 – The Year at Council So Far…”
For the second part of our two-week break here on the Guelph Politicast, we’re going to reach back to this past spring. Since the start of the pandemic, the local medical officer of health has been regular guest on the podcast with six different appearances, but there has been someone else whose contributions to the local COVID fight needs to be acknowledged, and he appeared on the podcast in March. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST REPEAT – The Family Health Team Story”
Your regularly scheduled Guelph Politicast is taking a few weeks off, so in lieu of two weeks of dead air, we’ll be playing some Politicast repeats. You see kids, a repeat is when an episode that’s previously aired is re-played, or re-run, instead of airing an entirely new episode. For this first week, we’re going to back in time to the end of last year for an issue that matters to all us: blood. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST REPEAT – Give (More) Blood.”
There’s still a lot of summer left, so what are we supposed to do with some of our extra down time? How about enjoying some local paths and trails for a nice hike? It’s never not a good time to take a walk and enjoy the natural splendor of the Guelph area, but a warm day, a cool breeze, a clear trail, and a sensible pair of shoes is not a bad way to pass some time, and no one knows that better than the current head of the local hiking club. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #285 – Take a Hike!”
Last week, ground was broken for the future Centre for Children’s Mental Health and Developmental Services Building, which will come to be known as the Grove. When it opens in 2023, the Grove will offer 30 service providers across three floors helping 9,000 local children, youth and their families needing mental health and developmental services, support and treatment each year, and all courtesy of a unique and generous partnership. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #284 – Expanding the Mental Health Landscape”
It is time again for another in-depth look at the local pandemic picture: how are we doing, where are we going, and what can we expect next? We’re now almost 18 months into the pandemic, and while normal still sometimes seems far away, there is a perceptible feeling that the worst is over, and there are better days ahead. But are there really better days ahead? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #283 – Still COVID [Summer Edition] with Dr. Mercer”
As we start reaching the potential end of the pandemic, it seems prudent to pause and ask the question, what does the future for Guelph look like? In a few months when almost everyone is vaccinated, do we go back to the way things were, or do we embrace a new normal? The logical place to start answering those questions is to ask the three people who manage City of Guelph services, and their boss. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #282 – The Future with Guelph’s Exec Team”
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